


A New Normal

by st_mick



Series: Niffler [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Torchwood
Genre: Adult Content, Amazing how not being hurt tired or numb can affect certain areas..., Ianto gets a clean bill of health, Ianto gets his wand back, Luna makes good on her promise, M/M, Sensitivity, Sort Of, new skin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 08:46:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/st_mick/pseuds/st_mick
Summary: Once Ianto has recovered, he realizes just how much has changed, now that he isn't numb or in pain, or constantly tired from both.  He and Jack get to explore his new normal, which definitely has its advantages.  Once Malfoy gives him a clean bill of health, Luna makes good on her promise to try to get Ianto his wand back.





	A New Normal

After two weeks of near-constant sleep, Ianto finally emerged from Jack’s bunker.  Jack kept him on restricted duty within the hub, pending Draco signing off on him being fit for more than light duty.  So Ianto spent his half-days providing coffee and tidying, with the occasional research foray into the archives and coordinating the team from the hub, when they were in the field. 

Jack was puzzled, because somehow Ianto was still accomplishing almost as much as he had been, before.  And it wasn’t like Ianto had ever been in any way inefficient.  But there seemed to be a new flow and buoyancy – a natural grace that seemed to be allowing Ianto to accomplish more, with less effort.  He remembered Draco saying as much, but he had not been expecting the difference to be quite so dramatic.

Ianto had gone home, after his first day back at work.  Jack accompanied him, convinced that Ianto would overdo it, trying to tidy up after his two-week absence.  And it was a near thing, but Jack helped him to set his home to rights, throwing out spoiled food and washing dishes.  Ianto went through his mail and started dusting, though Jack took over, once he finished in the kitchen. 

Ianto started a fire and used floo powder to contact Luna, asking her to send his owl home.  Jack was fascinated by the floo powder and had tossed several handfuls into the fire before Ianto took it away from him.  Cerridwen flew in through the open window within the hour and found her perch in the corner after first landing on Ianto’s shoulder and affectionately nipping his ear in greeting.

Jack cooed over the beautiful grey and black Western Screech-Owl, giving her treats and telling her how gorgeous she was.  Ianto had to fight a smile as he admonished Jack not to spoil her.

***

Ianto had been back at work for a week, and to his pleased surprise, he and Jack still had not slept apart.  With Ianto only working half days, he was heading home to rest, with Jack following later.  He had spent enough time in Jack’s bunker that he was relishing his time in his own home, and being up and around had its own novelties.   

Everything felt new, and more real, somehow.  Sensations were more intense, an indication of just how numb the _obliviate_ spell had made him feel.  And his body no longer ached constantly from the unhealed injuries caused by _sectumsempra_ curse.  He had become so used to the low-grade pain that he hadn’t even realized that it had been there, until it was gone.  Now, almost everything felt _damned good_ , by comparison.  And because he was no longer working so hard to ignore the pain and having to push past it and the fatigue to get things done, everything seemed easier, now.  More effortless. 

Jack had noticed certain changes, as well.  Ianto was definitely more at ease, less stoic, and now moved with a grace that sometimes held him spellbound.  The purring was definitely new, and he could admit, if only to himself, that he was a bit obsessed.  And he had noticed that Ianto was instinctively gravitating towards certain sensations.

Ianto had never been much for cuddling, and Jack now realized with a pang that it had been at least partially due to pain.  Ianto tried to explain it to him – how without even realizing that it wasn’t normal, he had been both uncomfortable and numb, all the time. 

But now, Ianto sought Jack’s warmth, whenever they were close.  At work, he stood just a half-step closer.  It was a subtle shift, and no one seemed to notice, but Jack.  And in more casual settings, he noticed that Ianto initiated more closeness, and touched him more freely and more often.  But in bed, where clothes were by mutual consent verboten, Ianto now seemed to crave having as much of Jack’s skin in direct contact with his own as possible.

So, it had come to pass that Ianto was now an uber snuggler.  Which suited Jack right down to the tips of his toes.  Jack had always been highly tactile, so Ianto’s former tendency to keep a slight distance between them when they weren’t actively having sex had always been a secretly sore point.  There were those who would have assumed Ianto would be clingy, but that had never been the case, even emotionally speaking.  Ianto had always held himself at a subtle distance, in every sense.

Now Jack understood why, and it broke his heart that he had not understood, before.  He had unconsciously held it against Ianto, and had kept his own distance in ways that he knew Ianto did not prefer.  Now, as they explored their new dynamic, all of the old barriers were coming down.  And it was exquisite.

Not to mention, fucking terrifying.

And Jack knew he had no way of resisting, any more.  Something had fundamentally shifted, between them.  There was something about carrying Ianto through his pain during the aftershocks that had broken through every barrier Jack had so carefully constructed, over the past century and a quarter.

Now it was the witching hour, once more.  Too early on a Saturday morning to give up on calling it Friday night, just yet.  Ianto’s first week back at work had been uneventful, and he was regaining his strength and equilibrium.  Jack had wakened, almost out of habit, but then he realized what had drawn him from sleep.  Ianto had shivered and arched his back into the front of Jack’s body, giving a sleepy purr.  Jack smiled.  Two of his new favorite things, all at once.  He pulled Ianto a bit closer.

“Jack,” Ianto whispered, clearly still asleep.  His hand reached around and landed on Jack’s flank, and as he pressed back into Jack’s body, he rocked his hips, rubbing his arse against Jack’s arousal.

Jack let out a tense breath.  This was a new development.  Definitely and overtly sexual, for the first time in a bit more than three weeks.  (Twenty-three days, but who was counting?)  When Ianto gently squeezed Jack’s arse and shifted against him again, Jack groaned and grasped Ianto by the hip, attempting to still him.  “Ianto?” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

“Mmmm,” Ianto hummed, trying to move against him, again.

“Ianto, what are you doing?”  Normally, Jack would have loved this, but he was reaching the end of his self-control.  On more than one occasion, he’d had to resort to a quick wank in a cold shower after Ianto had fallen asleep.  He wasn’t sure that would help, this time.  He craved Ianto so badly, he ached.

“Jack?” Ianto’s voice was alert, now, his body’s tension showing he was awake.  “What’s wrong?”

“Not even awake, and you’re driving me mad,” Jack whispered, nipping Ianto’s shoulder.

“What?” Ianto suddenly became keenly aware of the position of his hand, his body, and… “Oh.”  A slow grin spread across his face.  “Am I?” he asked, sounding sleepy and innocent.  He rocked his hips back, again.  “Is this bothering you, Jack?”

Jack almost sputtered in indignation, but then seemed to catch on.  He reached around, and his breath hitched as he gently palmed Ianto’s arousal.  “Welcome back,” he breathed almost reverently, taking a firmer hold.

“Jack!  Easy,” Ianto hissed.

Jack immediately loosened his grip.  “What’s wrong?”

“It feels,” Ianto panted.  “It feels as though I have new skin.  It’s like everything was numb before, muted.  Now…” he hissed as Jack gently moved his hand.  “It’s _really_ intense.”

Jack grinned.  This was going to be _fun_.  Ianto had always been responsive.  To think that he had been, despite feeling numb, meant he would be off-the-charts reactive, now.  Suddenly, he frowned.  “Wait a minute,” he grinned again.

Ianto suddenly found himself on his back, with Jack under the covers between his legs.  He was holding Ianto by his hips, gently nuzzling and rubbing his face along the length of Ianto’s cock.  “Jack,” he gasped.

“Wow, Ianto.  I mean, really.”

“What?”

“It’s not like you were any slouch, in the first place, but holy shit!”

“What are you talking about?”

“We may actually need to get the measuring tape back out.  This is…” he gave a wicked laugh.

“Jack?”  There was just enough alarm in Ianto’s tone that Jack slid… very slowly… back up his body, causing the younger man to moan decadently. 

“You are bloody gorgeous!” Jack breathed.  “Here.”  He grabbed one of Ianto’s hands and guided it down between them, wrapping it around the topic of their current conversation.  “Notice anything… different, maybe?”

Ianto startled.  “Jesus.”  He looked down, almost cracking his forehead against Jack’s chin, though it was too dark to see.  “Is that me?”  At Jack’s snort, he glared.  “Well obviously, but…  Well.”

Jack reached over and turned the light on, then pulled back the duvet as he sat up and knelt between Ianto’s legs.  He and Ianto just stared, for a moment.  “I guess the pain, and the numbness kept you from fully…” Jack trailed off as he ran a finger along Ianto’s noticeably larger (and harder) cock.  “Gotta say, I’m enjoying your new normal, Ianto.”

Ianto let out an embarrassed laugh.  “How the hell did I not notice…”  He lay back and frowned.  Then nodded, as though to himself.

“What?”

“Well, it was quite a while, after the battle, before I was able to… drum up any enthusiasm, so to speak.  And when I finally did, I guess I was so relieved that I _could_ , I didn’t really notice the… difference.”

“And we’re back to that sense of unreality, I think,” Jack muttered.  If there was anything a man knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was the feel of his own cock in his hand.  And just as Ianto had immediately realized the difference just now, the fact that he either didn’t notice, or perhaps even ignored the difference _then_ , spoke volumes about the mental quicksand his lover had been contending with for nigh on a decade.

“Maybe,” Ianto agreed, but then his eyes drifted to Jack’s lips and he sat up.

Jack grinned.  “So maybe it’s time to explore this _new_ new normal?”

Ianto thrust his hand into the hair at the back of Jack’s head, his eyes darkening.  “Not sure how long I’ll last,” he confessed.  “It’s been too long, Jack.”

“Yes, it has,” Jack agreed, leaning in and kissing him hungrily.  He lay down on top of Ianto, and they both moaned as skin pressed against and moved along skin.  Their cocks were lined up together and the friction was delicious.  Jack felt his heartbeat speed up as Ianto wrapped his legs around Jack’s thighs and lifted his hips, pressing his cock against Jack’s in a rhythm that was all their own.

Hot breath and unabashed moans were caught up and passed back and forth as their kisses became more frantic.  Jack kept a shred of self-control, trying to go slowly, in case the new intensity of feeling Ianto was experiencing strayed into discomfort.  Ianto was no help in this endeavor, bucking up into Jack’s thrusts, questing for more feeling, more sensation, more bliss…

Ianto cried out as he came, almost startling Jack, who was used to his lover being passionate, but far more restrained in his release.  He grinned again, and the thought of Ianto being a bit of a screamer now pushed him over the edge, and he moaned loudly through his own release.

As their heartbeats slowed and their breathing calmed, Ianto stayed wrapped around Jack, holding him close and trying to calm himself.  Jack kissed him lazily for a few long minutes before leaning away.  “What?” he asked, wondering about the small frown that as drawing Ianto’s eyebrows together.

“Was it always this good, Jack?” he asked, his eyes wide and somewhat troubled.

Jack suppressed a grin, knowing that Ianto was feeling overwhelmed.  “It’s always been good, Ianto.  But now, I think it’s going to be amazing.”

“I thought it was amazing, before,” Ianto said, still looking troubled.  “But now…” he looked at Jack, his eyes wide with wonder.  “It’s… I can’t describe this, Jack.  I…”

Jack reached up and brushed away the tear that had escaped.  “I know.  Better to go from good to amazing than the other way around, though.  Yeah?”

“I’m being stupid,” Ianto nodded, swiping another tear away.  “I just… I hate the idea I was somehow not appreciating you.”

“You’ve never taken me for granted, Ianto.  And it was as good for you as it could have been, with what you were dealing with.  But now,” he reached down and took Ianto’s earlobe between his teeth.  After a nip and a suck that had Ianto moaning and rolling his hips again, he whispered, “Now we get to see just how much pleasure you can stand, Auror Jones.”

Jack spent the rest of the night exploring, touching, and tasting every millimeter of Ianto’s body, inundating his lover with intense sensation, easing off when it became overwhelming, but surging forward again as new heights were achieved.  Ianto’s new normal made him gorgeously responsive, and Jack had him sobbing in ecstasy as he experienced his own sensuality with a joyful intensity he would not have believed possible, a few hours before.  He wept with the beauty of that intensity, and was surprised when he saw Jack’s tears, as well. 

The sun was well up when both men fell into an exhausted and sated heap.  They slept, then washed, then ate before changing the sheets and falling back into the bed, holding one another as close as possible, clinging to one another to keep from running away from the powerful emotions that were steadily rising between them.

***

At the end of Ianto’s second week back on the job, Draco was able to release him back to general duties, without reservation.  Jack sent Martha home and then because the rift was quiet, he took Ianto home to celebrate.

As soon as Ianto had the all-clear, Luna requested a meeting with the Minister in hopes of persuading him to allow Ianto to have his wand back.  She took along reports from Susan and Draco, showing that Ianto was fully recovered, and that the concerns that had led to the decision to forbid him his wand in the muggle world had all been resolved.

“Sir, it is my belief that being deprived of his magic made his situation even worse than it already was.  It was a punishment, when he deserved none, and had already received far too many.”

“Luna, the Ministry never set out to punish Ianto,” Kingsley said.

“And yet, at every turn, that is exactly what it has done!” she exclaimed.  “His actions during the battle saved so many lives, but rather than recognizing his valor, he was punished by being shunned.  Then he was exiled to the muggle world, once he became an Auror…”

“He was chosen for the assignment because he knew the muggle world,” Kingsley protested.

“And depriving him of his wand – of his _magic_!  He has compared missing magic to how people who have lost a limb feel.”  She sighed.  “I know it was not meant to be a punishment, but that is precisely what it has turned out to be.”

Kingsley grimaced.

“And _nothing_ was done to support him after Canary Wharf.  We should have been there for him, and if we had been, then we would have discovered the truth about Lisa.”  She shook her head sadly.  “I should have known what the visions meant, but I had no context, to be able to realize…”

“Luna, please do not blame yourself.  There is more than enough blame to go around, but none of it should fall to you.”

“It is small comfort that at least now I realize what the visions meant,” she muttered.  More often than she would care to admit, her visions could be convoluted and puzzling.  But what she had seen, the week before Canary Wharf fell, had been completely indecipherable.  Until she actually saw the Cybermen.  And the Daleks.  But her vision of the moon putting on a bathing cap and diving into the Pacific Ocean had made little sense, until Hermione told her that Ianto said that had almost happened, before he used the time turner.

And she had seen Lisa, wrapped in silver, crying out in pain.  At the time, she thought it was to do with her injuries, for that was what Ianto had told everyone – that Lisa had been injured, but he was hopeful she would recover.  It made her sick that Ianto had faced that situation, utterly alone.  She had often wondered why she had not had any visions, but she had come to the sad conclusion that when her visions were enigmatic, they were warnings.  She only received clear visions of the things that were avoidable.  But some things just could not be prevented.

Kingsley sighed.  “You are right.  We did not check up on him.  And I know we almost lost him when the Cyberman that had taken over Lisa Hallett died, in Cardiff.”

“I brought Draco’s report showing the damage caused when Ianto’s magic began to get out of hand, that night.  He drew it too far inside, because he did not have his wand to help him control it.”

Kingsley sighed.  “That was unfortunate.  But I stand by my decision to deny him the use of his wand, as long as he could not remember the _cruciatus_ curse.  You know as well as I do that the latent aftershocks, combined with his magic spinning out of control, could have been disastrous, if he’d had his wand to focus his power.”

Luna nodded.  “Perhaps until now, the decision was for the best.  But I hope you are ready to reconsider, now that the circumstances have changed.”

Kingsley smiled.  “Of course.  I was merely waiting for Mr. Malfoy to give us the all clear.  And unlike your report,” he chuckled, “mine includes the assessment showing that there is no further risk, to Ianto or anyone else, if he is allowed his wand back.”

Luna slumped back.  “You could have said,” she gave her best glower, which only made Kingsley laugh.  Luna was just no good at glowering.

“You don’t argue very often, Luna.  I was curious how you would go about it.”

Luna blinked, and her cross expression vanished.  She was also no good at staying cross with anyone.  She looked up at him.  “Can I accompany you, when you go?”

“Of course.  I was going to head that way in another hour, or so.”

***

Kingsley had held onto Ianto’s wand, the day they visited Torchwood in search of a time turner.  Now, as he and Luna sat with Ianto and Jack in the conference room, he pulled it from his robes and handed it to Ianto.  “It has been brought to my attention that you might have thought that you were not allowed your wand because we were punishing you, or did not trust you,” he began.

Kingsley was saddened to see confirmation of this as Ianto turned pink to the ears and stared at the wand in his hands.  “I was told nothing else, and I knew that there was nothing in the regulations about needing to be without one’s wand as a way of blending in to muggle society.”  He shrugged.  “I figured, since you lied, it meant you didn’t want to tell me the truth.  And there were only so many possible truths I could come up with.”

“I am sorry for that,” Kingsley said, and Ianto could tell his friend was being sincere.  “If we’d thought we could tell you everything without it impacting your well-being, we would have.”

“I understand, Sir.”

“Understanding does not ease the pain, though hopefully it will, in time, allow you to heal.  I am sorry we have failed you in so many ways.”

Ianto looked startled.  “But you haven’t,” he protested, but Kingsley raised a hand and silenced him.

“This may not come as much of a comfort, but we have seen the error of our ways, and we will be watching over you, Ianto.  You are, by far, at the most risk of any wizard assigned to any job outside of dark wizard catching, curse breaking and dragon wrangling, and likely more than them.  You will very likely dislike this more than the neglect, but we will be checking in more, and providing more support than we have done, in the past.”

Jack looked pleased.  Luna looked proud.  Ianto looked perplexed.

Kingsley sighed.  “Does the fact that our wish to keep you safe confuses you help you to understand why we need to do this?  We’ve come too close to losing you, too many times.”

Ianto nodded, still looking a bit confused.  “Thank you, Sir.”

As Kingsley and Luna stood to leave, Jack asked, “Minister, we were wondering.  Since Torchwood officers and those read in to the organization are exempt from the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, can we come to a quidditch match?”

Kingsley laughed.  “I don’t see why not.”  He looked at Ianto.  “Matter of fact, I hear there’s a match being organized at Hogwarts, in a few weeks.  I imagine Oliver Wood will be reaching out to you, soon enough.”

Ianto grinned, hoping he’d get an invite.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Posting may get a little slower - there's only one more section written, so now I need to write some more! :) 
> 
> Spent two hours today researching, so I could figure out what kind of wand Ianto has, only to realize I don't think it'll actually come up, at any point. But these things are good to know, just from a character standpoint, I think. 
> 
> In case you're wondering, it's a 10.5 inch ebony wand with a dragon heartstring core. Ollivander called it surprisingly supple, when describing it to Ianto the day it found him.
> 
> Hope you enjoy - kudo and comment, if you do! Thanks for reading!


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